Prince Harry says he 'never really dealt with' Diana's death

Prince Harry has opened up about how he struggled to cope with his mother's death in a rare interview.

In a revealing new documentary for British TV channel ITV, the prince — who was just 12-years-old when his mother, Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris — admits that he "never really dealt with what had actually happened" nineteen years ago.

"There was a lot of buried emotion and, for a huge part of my life, I just didn't even want to think about it", he says in the show.

The now 32-year-old prince says he "buried his head in the sand" after losing his mother at a young age, but now sees life "very, very differently".

But with his party days now seemingly behind him, Harry tells he is determined to make his mother proud.

"I always feel like I need to make something of my life," he says.

"I was fighting the system, going 'I don't want to be this person'; my mother died when I was very, very young and I don't want to be in this position'.

"But now I'm just so fired up and energised to be lucky enough to be in a position to make a difference."

During the documentary, Harry also talks about his charity work in Lesotho, where he co-founded a charity to help young people affected with Aids.

Heartwarming images also show Prince Harry’s emotional reunion with an African orphan he first met 12 years ago.

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Harry can be seen lifting the now 16-year-old boy, known as Mutsu, off the ground with a big hug. Harry and Mutsu then stood and talked for a short while – no doubt they both had plenty to catch up on!

The pair first met when Harry was on his gap year, and have kept in touch with letters ever since. During their first meeting, Prince Harry gifted Mutsu with a pair of bright blue wellington boots, which he reportedly cherished for many years.

The documentary, titled Prince Harry in Africa, aired in the UK on Monday night, and was filmed last November. Harry and Mutsu crossed paths again earlier this year when Mutsu took his first overseas trip to London to perform at Kensington Palace during a fundraising concert headlined by Coldplay with a choir sponsored by Harry’s charity.

Harry tells ITV he has been drawn to Africa since he visited as a young boy.

“I think anybody that I’ve spoken to who has been to Africa, most of the people get it, and Africa gets them,” he said. “For me personally, it’s an escape. And now not only have I found that escape, but I’ve found a way to try and use the name and the position for good.”

He also admitted that he turned to charity work to make his mother, the late Princess Diana, ‘proud’. He co-founded the charity Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006.